As someone with OCD, Brenna Posey, our social media manager, knows firsthand how tricky it can be to scroll while dealing with intrusive thoughts. Brenna shapes NOCD’s online presence, creating engaging content, and raising awareness about OCD—all while keeping her screen time to just 6 healthy hours a day (still lower than the average 8 hours and 39 minutes that teens typically spend online).
Check out Brenna’s tips on how to use social media to actually protect your mental health and not make your OCD worse.
Before we get into it, could you share more about your personal experience with OCD and how it influenced your work online?
I’ve had OCD since I was a kid. For me, it appears in episodes when I get triggered by something, and each of my episodes have different themes. I’ve experienced Health OCD, Suicidal OCD, and Relationship OCD. I would say the one that really made me hit rock bottom was my Health OCD. I didn’t know that what I was experiencing as a young person was OCD until I was in college and I actually found NOCD on Instagram. I was scrolling, and I saw a post about OCD symptoms, and I was like, I think this is what I’m experiencing.
How do you balance working on social media and set boundaries for your mental health at the same time?
I use my phone as my alarm clock, but I try not to have it on my actual bed. There’s a huge difference between having your phone charging on your bed versus on a night stand. I feel better knowing my phone is not near my head while I’m sleeping. And I know I shouldn’t be doomscrolling at night. It’s just bad for my overall mental health and makes me feel isolated. Work is stressful so I make it a priority to go and do a workout class at least 3-4 times a week. Exercise really helps me because it helps manage my overall anxiety levels.
We all experience FOMO, with or without OCD. It’s exhausting to keep up with trends, breaking news, and to constantly check notifications, which can feel like a never-ending cycle. How do you maintain a healthy balance between your online and offline time?
As I’ve gotten older, I don’t experience FOMO as much. When I was in college and growing up, I definitely did. What I try to do is fill my time with other things so that I won’t have time to scroll. I’ll go work out, I’ll go on a walk with friends, I’ll call my mom, read, or watch TV. It’s all better for me than scrolling.
TikTok has created a sense of community for many people—even people who have OCD. How has TikTok helped you manage your OCD, and do you find it more supportive or triggering at times?
I personally love TikTok’s community. I think TikTok is super personable and I really love how people are sharing stories. I wish I could have seen these TikToks when I was at my worst or going through episodes when I was younger because it truly makes me feel less alone. It helped me realize that people are struggling with OCD—that I’m not the only one who’s had really scary taboo thoughts. So, it’s been cool to see people open up about OCD on TikTok.
I wouldn’t say it’s triggering, and I’ve kind of reframed how I think about triggers too. Because if I’m so scared to see a trigger online, that’s giving OCD the power. I try to live my life not scared of triggers and do what I want to do. If I get triggered by something, then I use the tools that I learned in ERP and move forward.
For example, if I notice my heart rate is going up from working out, my OCD loves to ask “what if I’m about to have a heart attack?” ERP has taught me how to let that thought in, sit with the anxiety that comes along with that thought, and continue to go about my work out class. Showing my brain by my behaviors (not by self reassuring saying “I’ll be okay”) has helped me not go down the OCD cycle.
You can post pretty much anything on TikTok—from casual thoughts and trends to deeply personal stories. This is completely different with Instagram which is more for polished, where there’s often pressure to post perfectly curated content. How can people on Instagram create a more authentic space for themselves, especially when trying to manage anxiety or perfectionism?
I would say for my personal life, it’s still honestly a struggle for me. I definitely have thoughts like, I shouldn’t post this or I should post this. For NOCD, we typically post authentic, trendy content about OCD that’s real, authentic and scary. It’s proven to be well received on both platforms, which has been cool because I think people are ready for a brand to have that authenticity.
I feel like a lot of people nowadays, they go to post something, and they have that voice in their head that’s like, Oh, no. Don’t post that. That’s cringe. I’ve learned to just ignore that voice.
How can someone avoid getting caught in the cycle of comparing themselves to others on social media? This can be hard for anyone, but even harder when you have OCD.
I make it my goal to remember that social media–specifically Instagram–only shows the highlights of life. Even at my deepest, darkest times, I have posted beautiful pictures on Instagram—and people would never know what I was going through. I’ve posted pictures smiling, being happy with friends, all these things, when I was really struggling. So I think it’s really important to remember that you are only going to see the highlights of people’s lives on Instagram and social media in general.
How about X? Given that around 54% of people, particularly younger adults, get their news from social media platforms, how do you think this constant flow of information affects mental health, especially for those with anxiety or OCD?
We’re always going to hear about news, and a lot of the time, it’s really negative. There’s a lot going on in the world, people are gonna post about it, and you’re gonna see that on your feed. I think it can be really hard for people with mental health struggles because there’s so much negativity. That’s why I think it’s important to set boundaries and to fill your free time with helpful tools and activities so you don’t spend that time scrolling.
Are there any settings on your phone that you would recommend?
I like the timer that tells you that you’ve spent too long on an app. I think it’s good to just be aware. Because when that timer goes off, it’s like, okay, I’ve been scrolling for this amount of time. I think once you’re aware of it, it will help you realize that it’s time to do something productive. No one’s perfect, and I’ve ignored the timer, but I at least try to use it.
I actually don’t use other settings that remove content from my feed. I don’t do that because I try not to avoid anything. If anything, I’ll work through it. If I get triggered or if I don’t like it, it’s just another chance for me to work on my skills that I’ve learned in therapy.
Brenna’s do’s and don’ts for protecting your mental health while navigating social media:
DO try to fill your free time with productive activities, like being with people, or working out, so that you don’t have too much time to scroll.
DON’T doomscroll throughout the day if you know social media affects your mental health.
DO set a time limit for social media use in the evening and stick to it to help wind down before sleep.
DON’T scroll for several hours before bed. This can disrupt your sleep and heighten anxiety, especially when scrolling through negative or stressful content.
DO practice exposure and response prevention (ERP) when you feel triggered by certain content. This can look like sitting with the distress these fears cause you—all while resisting the urge to perform compulsions or seek reassurance.
DON’T purposely avoid triggering content. While it might feel tempting to filter out things that trigger your OCD, avoiding them can make the fear worse in the long run.
DO Focus on posting what makes you happy, not other people. This creates authenticity.
DON’T completely focus on likes and comments. This creates inauthenticity.
DO follow accounts that make you feel inspired, supported, and uplifted. Only follow the people you want to follow.
DON’T compare yourself to others online. Social media is often an edited version of reality.